Detecting polio cases: New responsibility for docs, nurses

DOCTORS AND the nursing staff will have a new responsibility, while they continue working at government or private hospitals. The responsibility is to find new suspected polio cases.

DOCTORS AND the nursing staff will have a new responsibility, while they continue working at government or private hospitals. The responsibility is to find new suspected polio cases.

HT Image

The responsibility comes under the National Polio Surveillance Programme (NPSP), where doctors need to identify children with symptoms of polio or paralysis. “Cases of polio have come up in recent past despite all attempts so it was decided that surveillance should be given more emphasis,” said the surveillance medical officer (SMO) Dr Ashok Shukla. On Wednesday, an orientation for polio surveillance was given to doctors of Dr RML Hospital.

Another orientation would be given at Era Medical College and Hospital on Thursday.

Under the new surveillance programme, doctors working in the department of paediatrics, orthopaedics and neurology will have to report any suspected case of polio or even paralysis. Also the nursing staff working inside the wards have to observe children below 15 years of age for suspected cases. The report would first be given to the hospital authorities that would then report the same to the national polio surveillance programme office. Orientation at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital was attended by the entire clinical and nursing staff.

“Bringing out new cases would help to strengthen the pulse polio programme,” CMO Dr AK Chawla said.